PAINTINGBY H. J. SOULEN /WNATIONAL GEOGRAPHICSOCIETY
And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson
- I I Chronicles 3:14
ASSYRIAN ANNALS frequently mention fabrics from Palestine as prime
items of booty. Craftsmen of Phoenicia and Canaan, both of whose names
mean Land of the Purple, extracted from the murex shellfish a rich tinting
agent that varied from blue to purple to crimson. Cloth dyed with Tyrian pur
ple was so expensive that the color is still synonymous with royalty.
Archeologists digging at Tell Beit Mirsim, in southern Palestine, uncovered
a Biblical town called Debir that appeared to have been dedicated to weav
ing and dyeing. The painting reconstructs one of Debir's dye plants. A work
er dips threads successively into two dye vats, following each with a water
rinse. Another man, pulling a weighted lever, presses excess dye from the
thread. Helpers carry water from the cistern at the far right.
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